Method and apparatus to dry paint brushes

Abstract

In order to prolong the useful life of an artist's paint brush, the paint brush is supported from a clamp while drying. The clamp has first and second coplanar surfaces which clamp against the tip of the brush supporting it as it is drying. The clamping surfaces are covered with a compressible material such as an open cell foam rubber. The compressible material prevents the bristles of the brushes from spreading out excessively and the open celled foam further facilitates wicking of liquid from the brush as it dries.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]Artists use paint brushes to work in oil paint, acrylic paint, and watercolors, as well as other media. Since the time of the “impressionist” artists in the nineteenth century, artists often have used flat, wide brushes having a rectangular or oval cross-section in order to do detailed work and give the maximum amount of control over their paint or color medium. When using these types of flat brushes, it is important that the brushes have a sharp, chiseled edge, as they do when they are new. Unfortunately, as paint brushes get old and used, the bristles on the brushes tend to curve and spread away from each other and this sharp edge is lost.[0002]These flat paint brushes are named “Flats” and “Brights” when the bristles are all cut to the same length, giving a flat shape at the tip of the bristles. When the bristles are cut into a curved, convex edge, the brushes are called “Filberts” or Long Filberts”.[0003]Typically, artists who use paint brushes c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The present invention is premised on the realization that artists' paint brushes can be dried in a manner that promotes the retention of the shape of the tips of the brushes. More particularly, the brushes are supported by a spring biased clip having two gripping coplanar surfaces. The coplanar surfaces are preferably covered with a compressible material, such as open celled foam rubber pads. The tips of the brushes are inserted between the pads, which holds the bristles in position as they dry without excessively spreading them out, thus maintaining the shapes of the tips. The clips are supported from the opposite ends so that the brush dries hanging from the clip. The open celled foam rubber supports drying by wicking away the liquid on the bristles.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, as paint brushes get old and used, the bristles on the brushes tend to curve and spread away from each other and this sharp edge is lost.

Again, paint brush bristles tend to spread out and lose their original sharp edge more and more each time the brush is used and cleaned.

A worn brush that does not have a sharp edge is not nearly as useful to the artist.

Such a worn brush cannot be used to paint sharp, accurate detail as a new brush with a sharp edge.

As the brush ages and loses its shape, the artist loses control over the paint while using such a brush.

This is time consuming and in some cases unsanitary.

In addition, it does not work very well since there is nothing to positively hold the bristles in the desired shape as the brush dries.

Also if the brush rolls slightly or touches anything on the tabletop while drying, the bristles can dry in a curved, bent shape, which is undesirable.

This is very time consuming and awkward considering that artists frequently use up to 30 or more brushes in a single painting session.

As it gets wet, the cardboard loses its strength and shape.

This frequently leads to the bristles drying in a different configuration than they were in when the cardboard was first attached.

Moreover, the wet cardboard can slow the rate of drying of the brush and cause moisture to be trapped in the metal ferrule which attaches the bristles to the wooden handle of the brush.

Over time, this can lead to rotting of the wooden handle and / or corrosion of the metal ferrule, whereon the bristles can loosen and fall out.

These disadvantages have caused very few artists to use this technique today.

This is very expensive.

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